Weight-loss jabs like Ozempic are now linked to TEN deaths, the UK’s drugs watchdog has confirmed
The medicines watchdog has received reports of ten deaths linked to the use of slimming injections, it appears.
There have also been 7,228 reports of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea associated with drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic.
Of these, 68 patients were admitted to hospital, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
The figures are based on users or health professionals telling regulators about side effects of the drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).
A reported death or adverse event does not necessarily mean it was caused by the drug, just that someone suspected it might have been the case.
Underlying or concurrent diseases and other medications that the patients may have been taking at the time of their death may be responsible and such events may also be coincidental, the journal Chemist and Druggist said.
The MHRA last week urged healthcare professionals to ‘report cases of misuse’ and ‘inform patients of the common and serious side effects associated with GLP-1RAs’.
At the time it said it was aware of 46 hospital admissions on August 16 – suggesting there had been a further 22 reports in two months, representing a 48 per cent increase.
The medicines watchdog has received reports of ten deaths related to the use of slimming injections, it emerged yesterday
Health Minister Wes Streeting has said the injections are not ‘cosmetic’ treatments and should only be used by obese people who have failed to shift their weight through diet.
The alert warned healthcare professionals to “be aware that there have been reports of potential misuse of GLP-1RAs for illicit indications such as aesthetic weight loss.”
The regulator said that ‘healthcare providers should be alert to signs of abuse of these medicines in their patients, warn these patients that they are at risk of side effects and report any side effects.’
It added that patients should also be warned about the risk of counterfeit GLP-1RA weight loss medications if they have not been prescribed by a registered healthcare professional, and that they should be aware that some counterfeit medications appear to be insulin contain.
A doctor warned in June that ‘at some point there will be a death’ after a ‘young girl’ was taken to A&E for treatment with life-threatening symptoms.
She had obtained Wegovy through Boots Online Doctor.
Wegovy is licensed for use as a weight loss drug and Ozempic, which contains the same drug in a different dose, is used in the treatment of diabetes, although some people use it as a fat buster.
Health Minister Wes Streeting has said the injections are not ‘cosmetic’ treatments and should only be used by obese people who have been unable to shift their weight through diet and exercise.
They should also be prescribed responsibly and used under medical supervision, he added.
NHS-backed data source OpenPrescribe shows rising prescriptions for semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy
Mr Streeting, who has proposed giving the jabs to obese unemployed people to get them back to work, said: ‘Weight-loss drugs have huge potential.
‘In combination with a healthy diet and exercise, they can be game changers in tackling obesity and returning good health to people.
‘But these are not cosmetic drugs that should be used to get a nice body photo for Instagram.
‘These are serious medications and should only be used responsibly and under medical supervision.
‘They’re not a quick fix to losing a few pounds, and buying them online without proper review could put people’s health at risk.
‘Drugs approved for weight management should only be used by people tackling obesity, where diet and exercise have first been tried and where patients are eligible.’
The General Pharmaceutical Council last month announced plans to consult on a series of “additional safeguards” that online pharmacies offering weight-loss drugs must provide.
This included properly checking the information provided by patients.
The proposals would require pharmacies that prescribe or supply drugs “associated with greater risks, including drugs used for weight loss,” to “independently verify the person’s weight, height and/or body mass index (BMI).